The Traitors NZ season 3
New Zealand television series season
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The third season of the New Zealand television series The Traitors NZ is set to premiere on Three on 31 May 2026.[1]
| The Traitors NZ | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
Promotional poster | |
| Presented by | Madeleine Sami |
| No. of contestants | 21 |
| Location | Castle Claremont, Timaru, Canterbury |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Three |
| Original release | 31 May 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
Production
Following the second season of The Traitors NZ, the series was cancelled. However, in late 2025, series was greenlit for a third ten-episode season with Paul Henry set to return as host.[2] On 8 August 2025, it was announced that Henry would in fact not return as host.[3] On 29 September 2026, a new host was revealed to be comedian and Taskmaster NZ alum Madeleine Sami.[4] The series will feature twenty-one new players ready to play the game. The first promotional trailer was released on 8 May 2026.[1]
Format
The contestants arrived at the castle and are referred to as the "Faithful". Among them are the "Traitors", a group of contestants secretly selected by the host, Madeleine Sami. Each night, the Traitors would decide who to "murder" and that same contestant would leave the game. After the end of each day, where the contestants participated in various challenges to add money to the prize fund, they would participate in the Round Table, where they must decide who to banish from the game, trying to identify the Traitor.
If all the remaining players are Faithful, then the prize money is divided evenly among them. However, if any Traitors remain, they win the entire pot.[5]
Contestants
Like the second season, this cast is made up of a complete new cast.[6][7]
| Contestant | Age | Residence | Occupation | Affiliation | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Meharg | 44 | Auckland | Bakery manager | None[a] | Eliminated (Episode 1) |
| Rachael King | 55 | Christchurch | Author | Faithful | Murdered (Episode 2) |
| Jill Braithwaite | 50 | Nelson | Receptionist | Traitor | Participating |
| James Brown | 49 | Auckland | TV captioner | Faithful | |
| Ryan Fairweather | 24 | Auckland | Audio engineer | Faithful | |
| Keanu Feleti | 30 | Auckland | DJ | Traitor | |
| Aaron Fleming | 42 | Queenstown | Triathlete | Faithful | |
| Jannaia Fuimaono | 27 | Wellington | Personal trainer | Faithful | |
| Maruia Jensen | 43 | Tokoroa | Teacher | Faithful | |
| Hannah Kremmer | 31 | Motueka | Stay-at-home mum | Faithful | |
| Kate Laidler | 20 | Auckland | Actress | Faithful | |
| Elliott Lam | 32 | Wellington | Comedian | Faithful | |
| Aroha Noanoa | 32 | Auckland | HR consultant | Faithful | |
| Bradley Ogg | 27 | Auckland | Youth Pastor | Traitor[b] | |
| Violette Perry | 20 | Auckland | Athlete | Faithful | |
| Samantha Richards | 31 | Queenstown | Teacher | Faithful | |
| Debbie Ryder | 65 | Wellington | Lecturer | Faithful | |
| Harrison Ryder | 36 | Täby, Sweden | Office manager | Faithful | |
| Dave Ward | 48 | Nelson | Sports announcer | Faithful | |
| Maria Williams | 36 | Wellington | Teacher | Faithful | |
| Chloe Withrington | 31 | Auckland | Business owner | Faithful |
- Notes
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 31 May 2026 |
| 24 | 2 | "Episode 2" | 1 June 2026 |
| 25 | 3 | "Episode 3" | 7 June 2026 |
| 26 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 8 June 2026 |
| 27 | 5 | "Episode 5" | 14 June 2026 |
| 28 | 6 | "Episode 6" | 15 June 2026 |
| 29 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 21 June 2026 |
| 30 | 8 | "Episode 8" | 22 June 2026 |
| 31 | 9 | "Episode 9" | 28 June 2026 |
| 32 | 10 | "Episode 10" | 29 June 2026 |
Elimination history
Key
- The contestant was a Faithful.
- The contestant was a Traitor.
| Episode | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traitors' decision |
None | Rachael | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Murder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shield | Aaron Aroha Dave Harrison Jannaia Keanu Violette |
None | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Banishment | None | Tie[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Vote | 6–6–3–2–2 | 9–8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aaron | No vote |
Harrison | Elliot | |||||||||||||||||||
| Aroha | Elliot | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | Elliot | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chloe | Ryan | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dave | Elliot | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Debbie | Aaron | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Elliot | Dave | No Vote[a] |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Hannah | Aaron | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Harrison | Elliot | TBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| James | Ryan | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Jannaia | Aaron | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Jill | Elliot | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Kate | Ryan | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Keanu | Ryan | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Maria | Ryan | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Maruia | Harrison | Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ryan | Dave | No Vote[a] |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Samantha | Ryan | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Violette | Elliot | Ryan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rachael | Murdered (Episode 2) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael[b] | Eliminated (Episode 1) | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Notes
- The first round of voting resulted in a tie. Per the rules, a second vote was held where the players involved in the tie would not vote and the remaining players could only vote for those who tied.
- Elliot, Hannah, Jannaia, Michael, Rachael, and Ryan chose to step out their cars before entering. After they did, the group was told that one of them needed to leave the game in exchange for a reward of NZ$5,000. Michael left the game with the reward.
Missions
| Episode | Task description | Time limit | Money earned | Money available | Running total | Shield winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Players must carry a palanquin along a path collecting money at various points. They must return it back within the timeframe and leave players behind. The players who return earned shields. | 30 minutes | NZ$12,000 | NZ$12,000 | NZ$12,000 (of NZ$12,000) |
Aaron |
| Aroha | ||||||
| Dave | ||||||
| Harrison | ||||||
| Jannaia | ||||||
| Keanu | ||||||
| Violette | ||||||
| 2 | Six teams of three players must answer true or false about a player within their group. If the answer correctly money would be added to the prize pot. If they answered incorrectly, they would be fall into a pit of slime. | No time limit | £4,500 | NZ$9,000 | NZ$16,500 (of NZ$21,000) |
No Shield on offer |